This disclosure relates generally to seal assemblies for high pressure application and, more particularly, to dynamic seal assemblies that are suitable for applications relating to various types of downhole in oilfield or gasfield.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In high pressure environments such as a downhole well of an oilfield or gasfield, various types of seal assemblies have been developed to used in order to provide adequate dynamic sealing in such challenging conditions. One example of the type of the seal assemblies is formed as a T-seal, a seal member having a T-shaped cross section and a pair of back-up rings, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,405, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Another example is an L-seal that is a seal member having L-shaped cross section, and may be used as a seal member instead of the T-seal.
The T-seal or L-seal have a generally rectangular base and a central protrusion extending perpendicularly from the approximate center of the base. These seals are placed between a first component and a second component between which a seal is desired to be maintained. The bottom of the base of the seal member abuts the first component and the top of the protrusion of the seal member abuts the second component to provide the desired seal. The back-up rings abut each side of the T-seal and the tops of the back-up rings also abut to the second component in order to provide support for the T-seal.
As will become apparent from the following description and discussion, the present disclosure provides improved seal assemblies formed of a seal member and at least one back-up ring, which are capable of reducing damage such as the wearing and cracking of the back-up ring in high pressure applications.